There is a risk of empty ATMs during the Christmas holidays. We'll tell you the reason and how much you should have in cash at home as an emergency fund.
Withdrawing money from an ATM may not be possible over Christmas. (Source: cozyta/depositphotos.com)
Update December 18th: The cash flow at Christmas was averted. Verdi and the Federal Association of German Money and Valuable Services (BDGW) agreed on a new collective wage agreement on Tuesday evening. Among other things, this provides for wage increases of 6.5 percent in North Rhine-Westphalia and up to 8.4 percent in the new federal states. The new collective agreement is valid until December 31, 2026.
Original report from December 17th
If you want to withdraw Christmas cash, you may be looking into the tube. Because many machines in Germany could be empty. The reason for this is an impending strike by around 10,000 employees in the cash and valuables transport industry. The service union Verdi is threatening this. If no agreement is reached in collective bargaining with employers today, December 17th, the union will call on its members to go on strike from Wednesday, December 18th. The union leaves it open in its announcement how long this should last.
The idea of an empty ATM doesn't scare you, after all you can pay by card everywhere? This is only partly true, although cashless payments have been on the rise in Germany since the Corona pandemic, you should still always have some cash in the house.
Verdi threatens to strike in the cash-in-transit industry
Finally, for example, an IT malfunction can make paying with the card temporarily impossible – something like this last happened in September 2024. The Federal Office for Civil Protection and Disaster Assistance (BBK) also recommends keeping a cash reserve in order to remain solvent in emergencies such as a power outage. But it doesn't always have to be a major catastrophe. All it takes is that your card is defective and you are left stranded financially without any cash on hand.
The BBK does not provide any information on how high the cash reserve should be. The Austrian National Bank recommends having an amount of 100 euros in small notes on hand and keeping them in a safe place.
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